BigXThaPlug Says Rap Is Dying — and Blames Drill Music for Killing the Fun

BigXThaPlug did not hesitate for a second. Asked on Club Shay Shay whether he believes rap music is dying, the Dallas rapper answered yes — and he had a lot to say about why.

The conversation, from an interview with Shannon Sharpe that premiered on October 28, has been making the rounds this week, and X’s blunt honesty is exactly why it caught fire. In his view, the genre has lost its way, trading artist development and lasting talent for viral moments and quick money.

His own rise is part of the point. BigX noted that he has only been rapping for five years, yet finds himself at the top of the game — and he questioned how someone with a viral TikTok song can suddenly sit at No. 1 and be treated as an equal to artists who have spent their whole lives building their craft. He name-checked Drake and Future as examples of veterans who put in decades of work, only to share the same space as newcomers who barely put in any. As he sees it, hip-hop has become a money game, where a viral moment and an established career are barely distinguishable anymore.

But his criticism went further than the industry’s obsession with virality. BigX also pointed to drill music, arguing that its rise changed what audiences and aspiring artists expect from hip-hop. In his telling, drill made aggression feel like a requirement — that everybody now feels they have to be a gangsta — and in the process, something essential got lost. He was careful to say he meant no disrespect to drill rappers, but he believes the sound did something different to the culture, and not for the better.

So what is the fix? For BigX, it is simple: hip-hop needs to be fun again. He recalled a time when Snoop Dogg could record with Katy Perry without anyone questioning his place in the culture, and argued that today’s artists feel boxed in by expectations. He even pointed to country music, which he said took its own hit before bouncing back commercially, as proof that a genre can recover its spark.

It is a particularly interesting argument coming from BigX himself. His 2025 country-influenced album I Hope You’re Happy, featuring collaborations with Luke Combs and Shaboozey, showed his willingness to move between genres — and he has since returned to rap with his October 30 album Better Over Time, featuring GloRilla and Lil Yachty. His own career is proof of the kind of genre-blurring freedom he says hip-hop needs more of.

Whether you agree with him or not, BigX has started a conversation the culture clearly needed. Is rap really dying, or is it just changing? Is drill the problem, or is the industry’s chase for viral moments the real culprit? One thing is certain: everybody has an opinion on this one.

Sound off in the comments — do you think rap is dying, and does drill deserve the blame? Send your requests our way and keep it locked to Kiss 101.7. You can always reach the request line at +1 302-357-9831.

Source: XXL and HotNewHipHop